MK featured in Canadian Grocer Magazine

MK featured in Canadian Grocer Magazine

Retail Intelligence
kosher
certification
Retail Intelligence
All kinds of food products lining supermarket shelves
these days bear symbols to indicate that they are
manufactured with ingredients and/or processes
that adhere to certain standards. One mark that is
showing up on a growing number of items––from
honey to maple syrup to soft drinks, candy, meat,
yogurt, chocolate, as well as hundreds of other food
products––is MK Kosher, a symbol that certifies
the product’s processing and ingredients follow
traditional Jewish dietary laws.
T
he Montreal-Kosher (MK) Certification Agency
evolved from a small initiative started by the Jewish
Community Council of Montreal in 1922 to ensure
that foods consumed by people in the community
followed the Kashruth (Jewish dietary laws). Today, MK is one
of the largest kosher certification agencies in Canada and is
considered one of the top kosher certifiers in the world. The
distinct symbol is now found on thousands of food products
made by hundreds of manufacturers and includes major
mainstream brands such as Coca Cola, Kraft, YumYum Potato
Chips, Lipton, Van Houtte coffee, Oikos yogurt and many
more. MK marked products are sold in grocery stores all across
Canada and a growing amount is exported to other countries,
particularly the United States.
With annual growth rates over the past decade averaging
15%, kosher certified food is one of the fastest growing
segments in the North American market. In the United
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States—which has the second largest Jewish population in the
world—sales of kosher food is worth $12.5 billion, according
to research firm Mintel. Canada’s kosher market is valued in
the neighbourhood of $575 million.
While the traditional kosher consumer may be Jewish,
more and more non-Jewish consumers are attracted to kosher
foods and for a number of reasons, says Rabbi Saul Emanuel,
executive director of The Montreal-Kosher Certification
Agency. Increased religiosity among Jews is one factor
attributed to growth in demand but other religious groups
such as Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah
Witnesses are also turning to Kosher certified food to satisfy
dietary requirements. Consumers with certain food allergies
who are looking to avoid shellfish, gluten or dairy may also
look for the kosher symbol, as do vegans or vegetarians who
desire meat free and/or dairy free products.
“As demand for kosher products expands, more and more
Canadian Grocer | OCTOBER 2012
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Retail Intelligence
kosher
certification
kosher certified products enter the market and that growing
availability, in turn, creates more demand,” says Rabbi
Emanuel. “By making a product kosher, manufacturers can
increase their appeal and take advantage of a significant niche.
Kosher certification is an essential requirement for food
companies today, especially if they want to export products to
the greatly expanding U.S. market. It is nearly impossible to
be accepted into an American grocery store these days without
kosher certification.”
At Montreal-based Clic International—a company that sells
a wide range of foods including everything from canned and
dry pulses to rice, cereals and juices—General Manager Rami
Matta says having products certified kosher has been a huge
advantage for his company. He says that since putting the MK
mark on Clic International’s products, large kosher markets,
particularly those in New York and New Jersey, have opened up
to the company. “I think what kosher certification has given us
is much more visibility and expanded markets,” says Matta.
Doug Goeke, senior vice president & president North
America of Gategroup, a leading global provider of products
people mistakenly believe food must be blessed by a Rabbi to
be considered kosher, in reality whether a food is kosher or
non-kosher depends on the source of the ingredients and the
status of the equipment on which it is processed.
The laws of Kashruth are quite complex, but one of the
basic principles is the total separation of meat and dairy
products—two food categories that must not be cooked or
eaten together. To ensure this, the kosher kitchen contains
separate sets of dishes, utensils and cookware, as well as
separate preparation areas for meat and dairy. A facility
producing kosher food products must be sure not to use any
animal-derived substances when producing dairy products and
no dairy ingredients when producing meat products.
Some foods that are neither meat nor dairy fall into a third
kosher category called pareve. These neutral foods, which
include certain kinds of fish and eggs, may be eaten with
either meat or dairy products. Some other foods, however,
cannot be considered kosher under any circumstances.
For example, Kashruth forbids the consumption of fish or
seafood without scales or fins—such as clams, lobster and
“But if people see an MK symbol
on a product, they can be sure it
is kosher and safe to consume.
They don’t have to look at the
ingredients to know.”
(including catering) for airline and rail passengers, also
sees the value of providing a kosher offer to his customers.
“Today we have to be able to service everybody’s needs,”
he says, noting that Gategroup operates a separate kosher
kitchen within its larger catering facility in Toronto, which
is supervised by the MK. Goeke says he believes knowledge
of kosher is growing and that he’s seeing more people who
don’t need to eat kosher, for religious reasons, are choosing
to do so. “For us to be able to have a kosher capability is very
important to us.”
At DavidsTea it’s all about being able to extend its expansive
product offering to anyone who desires it. “Having a tea for
everyone is of utter importance to us,” says DavidsTea CEO
Jevin Eagle. “Offering our kosher clients more than 75 kosher
tea options is something that we are quite proud of.”
The kosher tradition
In Hebrew, kosher means “fit” or “proper” indicating that the
food meets the requirements of Kashruth, the Jewish dietary
laws that date back thousands of years. Although many
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OCTOBER 2012 | canadianGrocer.com
oysters—as well as “unclean” meat such as wild game and
pigs, and insects. Wheat products are forbidden to be used
during the eight days of Passover.
Just looking at whether a food falls into the meat or dairy
category is not enough to determine whether the food is
considered kosher. “Products like yogurt, for example, are
made from dairy but some may also contain gelatin, which is
not kosher because it is made from animal bones,” explains
Rabbi Joseph Reinitz, an MK Kosher supervisor who covers
the Ontario market. “But if people see an MK symbol on a
product, they can be sure it is kosher and safe to consume.
They don’t have to look at the ingredients to know.”
As Rabbi Reinitz points out, kosher certified products
don’t only appeal to Jewish consumers who follow traditional
dietary laws. “Muslims also don’t eat gelatin, so they rely on
the kosher symbols, too,” he says. “People who are lactose
intolerant can choose a product marked pareve kosher
and know that it does not contain any milk products and
vegetarians can be sure that pareve and dairy kosher don’t
have any meat by-products.”
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kosher
certification
Kosher market stats
• Canada’s Kosher market is estimated to be worth more than $575 million. (Value
Chain Management Centre [VCMC])
• The U.S. market for kosher foods grew 64% from 2003 to 2008 when it
accounted for $12.5 billion in sales and U.S. sales are expected to reach $13 billion
by 2013. (Mintel Oxygen)
• Kosher was one of the top health-focused claims in 2011, appearing on 27% of new
food and beverage products, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database.
• 40% of annual kosher sales are on the eve of Passover when both year-round
kosher consumers, holiday consumers and non-Jews buy items such as Passover
Coca Cola, matzohs and macaroons.
The kosher process
Many foods today can qualify as kosher if the ingredients and
preparation meet strict requirements: no non-kosher animal
derivatives, strict separation of meat and dairy production,
certification of each ingredient as kosher, and no insect
infestation. To receive certification, all products must be made
under the supervision of a kosher certification agency, which
is an organization of Rabbis, food technologists, and field
supervisors with the expertise and resources to uphold the
laws of Kashruth.
In the days before computers, kosher certified products
created a huge paper trail to keep track of names of
companies, products and ingredients. About 10 years ago,
the Montreal-Kosher Certification Agency implemented an
amazing centralized computer system so that the process is
now completely paperless, says Rabbi Emanuel. He adds that
the implementation of the latest technology and software
makes it much easier to run a kosher food business.
All kosher data at MK is kept on an automated system
called Digital Kosher that manages ingredient lists,
updates the latest kosher certificates and ensures certified
kosher products contain only kosher ingredients. Each
kosher product is linked to a kosher certificate through an
exclusively assigned “K-ID”. These numbers are organized
in a list known as the product list. When a company applies
for kosher certification, it must list all raw materials, kosher
and non-kosher, to be approved by the MK personnel before
they can be introduced into the production facility. Company
information is stored in the secure database with the
strictest confidentiality.
The kosher certification process begins when a company
fills out the application on the MK website and lists all of the
ingredients and raw materials that go into making the product.
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“Each of the ingredients may come from a different supplier
and they all have to fit into kosher requirements,” explains
Rabbi Peretz Jaffe at MK in Montreal. “Kosher certification
of the ingredients may come from any one of about 1,000
agencies around the world so we have to make sure that the
standards used are as high as our own and the certification
is credible. Sometimes we have to ask the manufacturer to
change suppliers or to re-certify the ingredient.”
Once the ingredients are reviewed, MK sends a supervisor
to the production facility to compare database information
with ingredients and products at the plant to ensure
compliance with kosher requirements. The on-site visit
includes an assessment of the equipment, which could be
deemed not kosher if non-kosher ingredients have been used
on it. If necessary, equipment can be “kosherized” through
a heating process that removes all non-kosher traces. When
everything meets the supervisor’s satisfaction, a contract is
drawn up stipulating the ingredients that can be used and how
the equipment must be used, says Rabbi Jaffe. “Only then do
they get the MK emblem for their packaging.”
With everything registered on the Digital Kosher computer
system, the various steps for kosher upkeep are streamlined.
MK supervisors visit the facilities on a regular basis and
compare the database information to the products and
ingredients at the plant to ensure the business maintains the
kosher standards. “We know all the ingredients a company
uses so if a problem arises with a particular ingredient, we can
easily identify products that are affected,” says Rabbi Jaffe.
Although the MK certifies companies across North
America, the agency has noticed a rise in demand for kosher
certification in the Ontario market. In the past year alone
more than 20 companies have received kosher certification
and applications continue to roll in. This demand has
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Retail Intelligence
kosher
certification
“At a time when Canadians are increasingly concerned
about food safety, this project strives to establish the
kosher brand as a mark of quality and food safety.”
—Rabbi Saul Emanuel, Executive Director of the MK
Certification Agency
prompted the MK to hire additional full-time personnel in
Ontario in order to efficiently service those companies in the
region seeking kosher certification.
And companies appreciate the approach the MK takes
through the certification process. “Not only do they provide the
standards but they really partner with you to make sure that
you’re successful,” says Gategroup’s Goeke, adding that MK is
invaluable in helping find the suppliers that they need as well as
the customers. “I’ve found them to be great business partners.”
The safety angle
One of the biggest growth drivers in the market for koshercertified food is consumers’ perception that the products
are safe and healthy. According to an Agriculture and AgriFood Canada report from August 2010, 55% of American
consumers buy kosher because they believe the products are
safer and healthier.
Thanks to a new collaborative initiative between Canada’s
federal government and major kosher certification agencies
in Canada, food products marked kosher should be more
verifiably safe than ever.
With funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
the Canadian Kosher 22000 food safety initiative aims to
ensure the highest level of food safety at all phases, from the
raw materials to processing, distribution and retailing. The
MK initiated the new program, partnering with Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada, and with that partnership garnered
support from kosher agencies across the country.
Participation by industry and kosher organizations is
voluntary and different kosher brands were invited to
participate. Major kosher agencies met in Montreal this
past spring and came to an agreement on a common set
of standards for the inspections they do of bakery, oil and
confectionery items and committed their organizations to
continue aligning kosher with Canadian food safety standards.
MK is among four other Canadian certifiers, including
the BCK of Vancouver, Badatz Toronto, and Ottawa Vaad
HaKashrus, making Canada Kosher 22000 a national
Canadian initiative. “At a time when Canadians are
increasingly concerned about food safety, this project strives
to establish the kosher brand as a mark of quality and food
safety,” says Rabbi Emanuel. “Through this project, we,
along with our partners across Canada, will be working
with manufacturers and food retailers to build on this solid
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OCTOBER 2012 | canadianGrocer.com
foundation to the benefit of Canadians wherever they live and
whatever their religious beliefs.”
Danielle Medina, president of Food with a Conscience,
an independent food services consultancy that works with
Canada Kosher 22000, says there is a lot of complexity in
certifying products as kosher. “This project will give added
assurance to consumers and retailers that the products meet
the highest standards,” she says, adding, “There will also be
a benefit for small- to medium-sized manufacturers who
may have difficulty complying with the Global Food Safety
Initiative (GFSI). It is expensive to comply with the GFSI and
implementation is complex. But by working with MK, these
smaller organizations can slowly make the changes they need
to progress to GFSI.”
Although kosher food is not yet considered mainstream,
steady increases in consumer demand ensure opportunities
for further expansion in both the domestic and export
markets. “The market is growing exponentially,” says Rabbi
Emanuel. “Kosher certification has become an essential part of
the food industry and the MK symbol is showing up on more
and more products everyday.”
Why buy Kosher?
Today it is estimated that the majority of
kosher consumers are non-Jewish and
this group represents the fastest growing
market for kosher products.What’s the big
attraction to kosher food? A Mintel Oxygen
treport shows that 62% of consumers buy
kosher for its quality, 51% buy kosher
for its general healthfulness and 34%
buy kosher for its safety. Another report
from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada,
dated August 2010, points out that 55% of
American consumers buy Kosher because
they believe kosher food products are safer
and healthier; 38% buy Kosher because
they want guaranteed vegetarian products;
and 24% because they want to be sure
they’re buying dairy-free products.
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